The Flat Five

A combo featuring five of Chicago's best and most versatile musicians, the Flat Five started as a side project that played out only once a year, but has since matured into a celebrated independent band that records and tours, albeit at their own deliberate pace. With imaginative arrangements, carefully crafted harmonies, and a pronounced yet tongue in cheek sense of humor, the Flat Five's music has a strong retro tone, even as their lyrical themes and gentle musical satire pulls the songs into the present. The group made a polished debut with 2016's It's a World of Love and Hope, and 2020's Another World added low-key political commentary to their formula.

The Flat Five formed when guitarist and keyboardist Scott Ligon, a skilled instrumentalist who played with a number of groups on the Chicago club circuit, crossed paths with <a href="spotify:artist:2GkbVJYd1bZbQvVYS7ORZ2">Kelly Hogan</a>, a gifted vocalist and member of the Jody Grind; she toured as a backing vocalist with <a href="spotify:artist:4Cedjq5BQL3MhapRvDpFED">Neko Case</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7ITd48RbLVpUfheE7B86o2">the Decemberists</a>, as well as pursuing a solo career. The two began playing occasional shows at a club in Chicago, The Hideout, and when they were invited to open for the Blind Boys of Alabama, they decided they wanted another vocalist. <a href="spotify:artist:6LME2TKD5Ygke6oI7x1zjD">Nora O'Connor</a>, a former member of the alt-country band <a href="spotify:artist:3Z3G6KvLIIDyMKnln5Vi7o">the Blacks</a> (who had also worked with <a href="spotify:artist:0cTSCsVx04SSht9V6cpKN0">Mavis Staples</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4uSftVc3FPWe6RJuMZNEe9">Andrew Bird</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4M5nCE77Qaxayuhp3fVn4V">Iron and Wine</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4mO4aGO6u29UyR6XLZR9XW">the New Pornographers</a>), joined them and the trio became known as the Lamentations. Ligon began playing with a country group called the Western Elstons, and he struck up a friendship with their bass player, Casey McDonough, who was soon invited to join the combo. (Ligon and McDonough would soon share the stage in yet another band when <a href="spotify:artist:0Uh8RJyiZbRj6n2gpANXfj">Terry Adams</a> invited them to join his long-running, genre-spanning combo <a href="spotify:artist:5PpcyAkdpuo9a08HiU6yfi">NRBQ</a>.) Drummer Gerald Dowd, whose résumé included collaborations with <a href="spotify:artist:0l5iOYpiSkQFYR3uPNoMDe">Robbie Fulks</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3cmq7YmDFFy99rpgJipF2E">Edith Frost</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4RYmgwfh5Wjcm8L9ge1MFK">Chris Mills</a>, came aboard as drummer, and the group adopted the name the Flat Five, performing a broad spectrum of pop, jazz, R&B, and standards, all with stellar harmonies.

The Flat Five played their first official gig at the Hideout in 2007, and in their first three years, they only performed one a year, in time for the holidays. In time, the Flat Five started ramping up their schedule to three or four shows a year, eventually playing periodic residencies at the Hideout and a few other favored venues in Chicago. After several years, Dowd dropped out of the group, and Alex Hall (one of Ligon's bandmates in the Western Elstons, and drummer for <a href="spotify:artist:6u5mhJXgAKPTj6YVlZSPY9">JD McPherson</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6hAUCkzZpoYGObd8qFW5TT">Pokey LaFarge</a>, and the jazz combo <a href="spotify:artist:284j5cWFQzVCfLtZHkl1Me">the Fat Babies</a>) took his place in the lineup. The Flat Five became something of an institution in Chicago, and in 2014 they began recording an album, dedicated to the songs of Chicago-based composer <a href="spotify:artist:1d7yXVbSqPoADup0SFtWfv">Chris Ligon</a> (Scott's brother). Recorded at Alex Hall's Reliable Music studio, the Flat Five's first album, It's a World of Love and Hope, was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Bloodshot+Records%22">Bloodshot Records</a> in October 2016. The following October, they delivered the single "The Raven," featuring lyrics inspired by <a href="spotify:artist:6pcPyOpEwaoP9q7wOjqHx0">Edgar Allan Poe</a>'s classic poem. The foursome moved to Chicago's <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Pravda+Records%22">Pravda Records</a> to issue their second LP, 2020's Another World, which retained the eclectic retro style of the debut while injecting subtle political commentary into their lyrics. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi